Demand for big data specialists grows in face of skills shortage

A survey of 300 senior executives in the UK, France and Germany found that 42 percent of businesses are actively recruiting or planning to recruit data scientists, analysts and other specialists to help get the best out of their big data.

But 62 percent of firms agreed that there is a skills shortage in the area of data science and big data analytics, rising to 65 percent in France. Only 12 percent in total are confident that no skills shortage exists.

According to the research, commissioned by analytics systems supplier Teradata, companies are increasingly looking for a blend of skills to successfully implement big data analytics initiatives, and are not just relying on IT experience.